While I'm not really qualified to comment on western yotes,I can tell you that coyotes in the northeast at least do indeed travel in "packs" or loose family groups as well as mark and defend a home range,generally of 25 square miles or so,from intruding coyotes. While it's true you may normally only see 2-3 together at any given time there may be several more in the vicinity as they will hunt together,share kills and carrion etc.Personally,I've seen as many as 7 at one time,and have heard reliable accounts of as many as 13 yotes together on a bait pile.
As far as feral dog/coyote mixes,or "coydogs" go,I beleive that is a term coined by earlier outdoorsman to descrbe the larger eastern yotes(as compared to their western counterparts)when they first started appearing here in great numbers?As far as I know,and I could be wrong,there is very little to no evidence of wild coyotes breeding with domestic dogs?In fact,I'm not even 100% if it is genetically possible?It certainly goes against their social structure and would almost have to be conceived in a labratory to have any chance of a successful breeding,although I seem to recall reading of documented "coydogs" that are sterile and unable to reproduce,much like breeding a horse to a donkey to get a mule?Either way,if it happens at all in the wild,it is most likely very rare.it simply goes against their nature and social order.An alpha male coyote would not tolerate a domestic dog attempting to breed his ##### and coyote breeding is more complex than simple chance encounters between a male and female.It is more ritualistic involving a courtship process that incleudes howling to attract mates and defending potential mates from intruders or bachelor males looking to establish a territory.If anything,a frustrated bachelor coyote with virtually no chance of breeding within his species "might" breed a domestic ##### if he happened to find her in heat during coyote mating season,but generally speaking,he'd be more inclined to kill and consume her.
Another often debated theory on eastern coyotes is that they are hybridised with eastern wolves,resulting in their larger size and wolf-like appearance.Whether that's true or if they simply evolved to be bigger through natural selection,much like northern whitetails,to cope with the harsher climate and conditions in the north,is still before the jury.evidence of wolf DNA in easterb yotes lends some credibility to the theory,however,all canines can trace their roots back to wolves if you go back far enough,so what does that really prove?Maybe they are just more closely related to wolves,and share many of the same social traits?